John lynch



(No Model.)

J. LYNCH.

STREET PAVEMENT.

Patented Mar. 24, 1891.

titre STATES afrniv'r trio,

JOHN LYN Gll, OF \VASHINGTON, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA.

STREET-=PAVEMENT.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 448,658, dated March24, 18911.

Application filed June 16, 1890. Serial No, 355,571- No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that 1, JOHN LYNCH, a citizen of the United States, residingat Washington, in the District of Columbia, have invented certain newand useful Improvements in Street- Pavements and Bricks Therefor; and Ido hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exactdescription of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in theart to which it appertains to make and use the same, referenee being hadto the accompanying drawings, and to letters of reference markedthereon, which form a part of this specification.

The object of the present invention is to provide a brick pavement andbrick therefor which are specifically adapted for the variedrequirements of city travel and which can be easily and cheaply repairedand kept in order; and the invention consists of a brick for street,pavements of a special construction, and also of a pavement laidtherewith, all as hereinafter described and claimed.

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a brick. Fig. 2 shows a portion of astreet-pavement laid with these bricks. Fig. 3 is a cross-see tion takenon a line through the smooth part of the pavement, as, for example, as(c. Fig. l is a cross-section taken on a line through a part of thepavement laid with open joints at the surface, as, for example, 3 y.

The brick A is made of the regulation brick size and shape, with theexception that it has a narrow ledge or shoulder a formed on both sidesat exactly the center line thereof. This ledge is one-fourth of an inchin width and runs lengthwise of the brick from end to end.

The brick is preferably made so that its av-. erage thickness is thesame as a regulation brick-that is, above the ledges a, Fig. 1, it'isone-fourth of an inch thinner than a regulation brick and below saidpart it is on e-fourth of an inch thicker, thus making the cubiccontents and weight of the brick the same as it would be if made ofregulation size.

In laying a pavement with these bricks the foundation of concrete isprepared in the usual way. The bricks are then laid on their edges,breaking joints as to courses, with the narrow edges uppermost, or withsuccessive courses alternating in reversed position, aecording as thesurface-joints are to be close or open. This form of brick permits asmooth pavement to be laid with a close surface, where such a pavementis desired-as, for example, in the gutter and on such parts of theroadway as are mosttraveled by wheels of vehicles, and a smooth pavementwith open joints, or joints that will afford foothold for horses, onsuch other parts of the road as may be desired. For example, Fig. 2shows onehalf of a street paved in the manner contemplated by thisinvention. WVhen the pavement is to be made with a close surface, thesuccessive courses of bricks are reversed in laying, as shown in Fig. 3.Each alternate course will have the narrow edge of the brick uppermostand the intermediate courses will have the broad edges uppermost, theshoulders of the latter resting on the ledges of the former. Thisconstruction also distributes the weight coming on any brick or courseof bricks over an increased surface at the bottom of the brick-course.For example, the weight on a narrow brick on the street-surface isdistributed over the broader surface of the under face of the brick andthe weight on a wide brick or course of bricks at the street-surface isdistributed by means of the shoulders over three courses of bricks, onecourse on each side. Moreover, as the tires of wheels of heavy wagonsare Wider than the narrow edge of a brick, it follows that the weight ofheavy vehicles will as a rule be distributed over a bearing-surface ofthree to five bricks. In laying the bricks thus they are preferablydipped in tar as they are laid, which causes them to bind together andmake tight joints. \Vhen the pavement is to be laid with open joints,the bricks are set in the manner illustrated by Fig. 4, with all thebricks resting on their broad edges and with 'the courses running acrossthe line of travel.

The open spaces thus formed between the upper parts of the courses arethen filled in with gravel and tar or asphalt. The whole forms a smoothpavement; but the joints of material softer than the bricks give goodfoothold for the horses.

In paving a street the space M between the ear-tracks is laid with openjoints, and between the car-track and the curbstone one or more sectionsN, of a width less than the gage of wagonuvheels, are also laid withopen joints, so that a horse or a pair of horses can travel ICO on thetrack laid with open joints, and the wheels can run on the adjacentparts of the pavement laid with close joints. These sections N can belaid at any point in the road way. In the present case one such sectionis shown near the car-track and another near the gutter, with a broadstretch of pavement laidwith closejoints between. It is well known thata thin coating of ice on a smooth asphalt or like pavement makes itdangerous for horses and even stops travel; but with a pavement laid asherein described horses can always travel on the sections N. At othertimes light teams can travel on any part of the roadway and heavy teamscan take the section where the horses can get a good foothold.

hen any section of the roadway gets worn, the pavement can be easilyrepaired and the bricks can be used again by reversing them. Sections ofthe pavement thus laid with open joints will afford all the foothold forhorses that a Belgian-block pavement gives and at the same time will bepractically a smooth pavement for carriage-wheels. Driving over suchparts of the pavement will not give the rattle and jar tocarriage-wheels that is experienced in driving over a stone pavement.

I am aware that it has been heretofore proposed to lay pavements withsmooth tracks for the wheels of vehicles and rough sections for horsetravel, and I am also aware that bricks and blocks for pavements andbuilding purposes, 30., have been made with lat eral projections orledges, and I do not claim the same, broadly; but

\Vhat I do claim as my invention, and desire to secure by LettersPatent, is

A street-pavement made with reversible bricks having ledges runninglengthwise of the bricks at the middle line thereof and laid with thenarrow edges of the bricks uppermost on sections designed for horsetravel and with the edges of the bricks alternately reversed on sectionsdesigned for wheel travel sub stantially as and for the purpose setforth.

In testimony whereof I atfix mysignature in presence of two Witnesses.

.IOllN LYNCH.

Witnesses:

G. Y. ATLEE, STORY 13. LADD.

